V-tube: the first prototype of pneumatic actuated soft nasal swab for COVID-19 screening

Abstract

Swab and tube are widely used in respiratory specimen collections for current COVID-19 screening. This paper proposes the design of a novel pneumatic actuated soft nasal swab, named V-tube. The V-tube consists of three main parts: an outer tube, a cap integrated with broth container and an active film (AF) that can be squeezed out of the tube under positive air pressure to collect nasal mucus cells. The working process and material selection of this swab is studied via Finite Element Analysis (FEA). It is expected to integrate the V-tube with a dual arm mobile collaborative robot (MCR) to accomplish nucleic acid sampling instead of medical staff. Therefore, a robot-applicable pneumatic system is designed to supply appropriate force to drive the V-tube. The potential manufacturing and control issues of the V-tube are discussed for further studies.